ATLANTA, United States, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Spain got its World Cup campaign off to a disappointing start, as it was held to a 0-0 draw by Cabo Verde in the Group H opener here on Monday.
Spain dominated large parts of the match, but Cabo Verde's veteran goalkeeper Vozinha produced a series of heroic saves to keep the score level.
Spain entered Monday's fixture as one of the tournament favorites. Lamine Yamal was only fit enough for the bench, while head coach Luis de la Fuente started an attacking pair of Ferran Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal in a 4-4-2 formation. The midfield quartet of Fabian Ruiz, Pedri, Rodri and Gavi controlled possession, while Marc Cucurella, who recently completed his move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, featured at left-back. Unai Simon started in goal.
It is Cabo Verde's first appearance at this elite stage, and it could not have asked for a sterner test to open its long-awaited debut campaign, with all-time top scorer Ryan Mendes leading the attack.
In the pair's first meeting at senior international level, Spain struggled to break down Cabo Verde's compact defence despite enjoying a clear edge in possession.
Spain's first real chance came in the 39th minute when Torres' close-range effort struck the crossbar, with Oyarzabal's follow-up denied by Vozinha.
The 40-year-old Vozinha produced a string of fine saves moments later, getting down well to block Torres' low strike before flying across goal to palm away Aymeric Laporte's header.
After the restart, La Roja continued to dominate but still failed to find a way through Cabo Verde's defence.
Yamal eventually came off the bench in the 71st minute but was unable to make an impact.
In the closing stages, De la Fuente threw caution to the wind, introducing Dani Olmo and Nico Williams in search of a late winner, but the breakthrough never came.
Spain next plays Saudi Arabia, while Cabo Verde takes on Uruguay.
